Archive for June 2008

We’re finally hearing different accounts and more details on what may have happened on Monday morning. Walker was found robbed and beaten to a pulp near Koval and Winnick.

This from the San Francisco Chronicle:

“We don’t believe this is a random act,” Las Vegas police Lt. Clint Nichols told the Chronicle. “They knew who he was and (Walker) presented a target.

“We did get a surveillance (video) of a vehicle and suspects that may have been involved. We know there were suspects, possibly two (but) we haven’t identified anyone yet.”

Remember Walker was one of the guys who was with Darrent Williams, the night he was shot to death.

More from the S.F. Chronicle:

On Jan. 1, 2007 while a member of the Denver Broncos, Walker and several teammates were shot at following a New Year’s Eve party outside a downtown Denver nightclub. Teammate Darrent Williams was shot in the neck and died in Walker’s arms. Police said it was a gang-related homicide. Earlier reports stated champagne was also sprayed into the crowd before the shooting in Denver.

I’m not going to sit here and say Walker needs to stop going out. Though it is puzzling as to why he hasn’t dropped the spraying champagne routine. Afterall, that was the impetus that got things going in a disasterous direction before the tragic Williams slaying.

The speculation on the air today on ESPNRadio1100 started to border on the ridiculous. Then it went completely overboard on message boards like this:

Javon and Floyd Mayweather both had tables, and got into a bidding war, buying champagne. According to him Javon bought over 30 bottles of Dom, and Floyd won, buying around 50 bottles of Cristal. When Floyd won, he then made it rain, throwing stacks of money off the balcony (The VIP tables are on a mezzanine overlooking the dance floor. Javon was on one side, and Floyd on the other).

The rumor making the rounds among the staff there is that someone in Mayweather’s crew jacked up Walker.

Sacramento Kings’ owner Joe Maloof spoke for the first time about the Tim Donaghy NBA game fixing claims. He appeared on Las Vegas’ ESPNRadio1100 on Thursday with Steve Cofield & Dave Cokin

Regarding Game 6 of the Lakers-Kings series in 2002, “It was so emotional. It was hard to reflect on it right after the game. Just such an important game. It was a very poorly officiated game. Our family has been in the NBA for many years, it was probably the worst officiated game I’ve ever seen. And we never said anything after that. We never whined about it.”

Maloof pointed out the most egregious error by the officials,” The refs blew it, it was a

horribly officiated game. They blew it when they called a foul on (Mike) Bibby, when he gets a direct elbow to the face. It was wrong, wasn’t the right call.”

He was asked if the recent Donaghy claim got him thinking maybe there was some other force behind the 27 Laker free throws in the fourth quarter, “Not for one second, no. We’ve been around the NBA for a longtime. Our family has a wonderful relationship with the league. You would never think anything like that would happen. I don’t believe in any conspiracy.“

Maloof said he trusts in NBA commissioner David Stern 100%, “I’m not suspicious. I know the league, I know how important it is to maintain the integrity of the league. It was a bad day for those guys. As far as anything else, I don’t believe it happened.”

He also thinks the NBA investigation was more than thorough, “The commissioner has looked at all those angles. I’m sure the proper people have looked at that. I don’t think there’s anything associated with any kind of conspiracy, I really don’t. I know David Stern, I know the integrity of the league…I just don’t see it happening. I think you have to leave it up to the commissioner, have a belief in the office that there was nothing fishy about that game. I believe them.”

Maloof had this to say about the majority of Sacramento fans polled saying they believe Donaghy, “Customers and fans are going to say that, because they love that team. The team is very important to the city.”

Has the league told owners and players not to speak on the subject of Donaghy?

“I’ve never had the league call me and tell me not to comment on any issue,” said Maloof. “I don’t think there’s a problem in the league with that. It’s America you can say what you believe.”

Maloof did eventually soften his stance that he is 100% confident this will all blow over, “Right now the NBA has never been hotter. It’s white hot. Ratings are up in the low 40-percent range. Arenas are full all over the NBA There’s a lot of positive regarding the NBA. Maybe this has to be looked at more it’s getting too much attention around the world. You’re probably right that there needs to be more attention given to this (by the NBA).”

The Kings owners went on to address concerns that this may hurt the effort to get a new arena in Sacramento, “I don’t think there’s any problem with the (new) arena in Sacramento. I think our fans are terrific back there. They support this team. They’ve supported it all along. I think if they really look deep into their hearts, they’re not going to believe that there was any type of conspiracy.”

We love to see anti-Vegas Senator Brownback saying he’s not in favor of big government legislating the robber barron oil companies. Seems like a complete reversal since this is the same guy who is pro-government intervention when it comes to the FCC and free speech on TV/radio. He’s also in line with Tennessee’s Bill Frist on making sure that the nation can’t gamble online.

It was about respect and cultures and the future of mankind. The Lakers and Celtics didn’t just want to beat each other, they wanted to beat each other down. Wanted complete submission, wanted to hear a last gasp.

Now everybody is just so chummy, it’s disgusting. They all know and like each other. They’re pals off the court. They don’t just shake hands, they hug.

Kevin Garnett puts his arm around a young Kobe Bryant at his first All-Star Game and says, “Don’t worry kid, I’ll help you out.” And then lobs him a pass. Bryant and Paul Pierce play summer hoops together at UCLA. They probably share Christmas cards.

It’s way too cute for me. A true disservice to all those Lakers and Celtics who came before them and would spill blood on the floor before capitulating.

IS BOB RYAN REALLY MORE LEGIT THAN BILL SIMMONS?

Ryan went out of his way to attack ESPN’s internet star Bill Simmons last week. Ryan basically said Simmons lacked perspective in saying that the Lakers-Celtics really isn’t a great rivalry outside of their meetings in the 80s.

Beware of clever people who know what they know, but don’t know what they don’t know, which is far more important.

There is a younger writer of great renown who loves the Boston Celtics, which is fine. He commands an enormous national audience, who have come to regard him as The Authority on all things Celtic. And he has an exhaustive knowledge of the current team. No problem there.

But he has over-stepped his bounds. He is trying to sum up the whole Celtics-Lakers thing in his dot.com forum, and he starts off by saying that it wasn’t really a rivalry because the Celtics won the first eight times the two played in the Finals. He completely dismissed the six series of the 60s because the Celtics won all six, as if this somehow means by definition the two teams did not have a viable rivalry.

Now Ryan has people questioning his perspective or better yet his level of scenility with this gem from the weekend.

According to three sources, Ramírez had told Youkilis to “cut that [expletive] out.” That was what provoked Youkilis and started the problem.

Neither player was in the clubhouse after Thursday’s game.

The two hadn’t spoken as of yesterday afternoon. “We’ll talk, definitely,” Youkilis said. “We’ve got 99 games left. It’s a long season.”

While sources had indicated that part of the problem was Youkilis’s tossing of equipment in the dugout, the first baseman said, “I think it was a misunderstanding more than anything. I don’t think it was because I threw something.”

Matt Hughes was excellent. He sounds super confident facing Alves He also chimed in on the fighers who are leaving UFC.

Mike Swick and Marcus Davis have a war of words going over what Davis feels is a lack of respect on Swick’s part. Davis also ripped Kimbo Slice to shreds on the notion that Slice could actually be a good boxer.

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